Los Angeles neighborhoods - Best 4 out-the-front-door cycling

[Ciavete]

Happy Holidays fellow Paceliners. Work may be bringing me to downtown LA and I'm wondering where to live that would allow the dual benefits of 1) public transit to/from work and 2) good road cycling I can get to that's not far away from my front door.

I'm hearing Sierra Madre and Arcadia are good options with close access to Mt. Wilson.

Anyway, open to suggestions and thanks in advance.

Cheers!

[SoCalSteve]

Check out Culver City.

Metro line to downtown ( Expo line ) and bike path ( Ballona Creek ) to beach are both there. Once you are at the beach, Palos Verdes to the left and Malibu ( and many places before ) to the right.

Culver City has great shops, movie theaters and restaurants. Also, great weather.

Good luck!

[echelon_john]

Caveat: I know next to nothing about LA, other than how absolutely obscenely ridiculous the traffic is, having been there twice for work recently.

My buddy lives in Glendora, which, at rush hour, is FAR from downtown. But his access to riding is pretty amazing. Glendora Mtn Road is an amazing climb with great views. Nice town, pretty low key.

[SoCalSteve]

The caveat of living inland ( San Gabriel Valley ) is that it gets extremely hot all summer long.

Living closer to the beach, you will not have this issue. Also, there is great climbing - views in both Palos Verdes and Malibu. Lots of canyons to climb with spectacular ocean views ( if you like that kind of stuff ).. :banana:

[christian]

I would live in Monterey Hills, Highland Park, or Eagle Rock (or So Pasadena if money is less of an issue). From any of those places you have pretty easy riding north, and all are a good commute to downtown. I don't think Sierra Madre is that great for access to Angeles Forest. If that's your #1 priority, La Canada Flintridge or the San Rafael hills would be better.

You looking to rent or buy? How much/month?

For me, having lived on the Westside (26th/Montana) for a while, I would never choose that as a base for cycling.

[SoCalSteve]

I would live in Monterey Hills, Highland Park, or Eagle Rock (or So Pasadena if money is less of an issue). From any of those places you have pretty easy riding north, and all are a good commute to downtown. I don't think Sierra Madre is that great for access to Angeles Forest. If that's your #1 priority, La Canada Flintridge or the San Rafael hills would be better.

You looking to rent or buy? How much/month?

For me, having lived on the Westside (26th/Montana) for a while, I would never choose that as a base for cycling.

Curious why you wouldn't choose Santa Monica as a base for cycling? I cannot imagine a better place to cycle out of. ( but what do I know )....:confused:

[christian]

Living closer to the beach, you will not have this issue. Also, there is great climbing - views in both Palos Verdes and Malibu. Lots of canyons to climb with spectacular ocean views ( if you like that kind of stuff ).. :banana:

The only trouble is that to get there, you have some of the very worst cycling in LA. I used to ride from my house at 26th and Montana to my girlfriend's house in Las Flores Canyon in Malibu. I can seriously only think of a few places I'd less rather ride (and I would usually take Sunset to Temescal Canyon to avoid at least some of the PCH nonsense).

If you live in the South Bay, you can always ride to PV, but to commute from Hermosa or Redondo into DTLA... no thanks.

[christian]

Curious why you wouldn't choose Santa Monica as a base for cycling? I cannot imagine a better place to cycle out of. ( but what do I know )....:confused:

Yeah, I got there eventually - see post above. :)

[PeregrineA1]

You may also consider looking behind the Orange Curtain (that would be Orange County).

Metrolink to Union Station is super easy from any number of locations in OC.

From our home in Cowan Heights it is ten minutes by car and 25 by bike to the ARTIC station, probably less to Tustin or Orange station.

We have miles of mountain biking and road biking from the front door. I love not needing to load the bike in the car/truck to do a nice ride. A quality 3 hour ride is easy, paved or dirt.

A weekend ride in any of the LA locations mentioned elsewhere in the thread are 40-60 minutes away, driving, if one wants to change the scenery. The option of going south is also that much easier. Train helps a lot too, if you want to car free or car minimal.

[SoCalSteve]

The only trouble is that to get there, you have some of the very worst cycling in LA. I used to ride from my house at 26th and Montana to my girlfriend's house in Las Flores Canyon in Malibu. I can seriously only think of a few places I'd less rather ride (and I would usually take Sunset to Temescal Canyon to avoid at least some of the PCH nonsense).

If you live in the South Bay, you can always ride to PV, but to commute from Hermosa or Redondo into DTLA... no thanks.

Interesting. I love riding on PCH. Starting from West Channel Road, of course. PCH is fast, fun, loud and fast...:eek: And, if you are a car lover like I am, you will see soooo many super cars on a Sunday morning, you would think you were on a race track!

Some of my most favorite rides have been on PCH. Double pacelining with a group of strangers, chance meeting with Rashaad Bahatti, great canyon roads, beautiful views of the ocean all the way from Catalina to Point Dume and beyond. Getting to the end of PCH and riding in Oxnard next to the strawberry fields...the list goes on and on.

I guess everyone has their opinion of worst. I think it's some of the best!

As for the South Bay, very hard to get to downtown from there and really no need as you can cycle to Palos Verdes from anywhere on the west side. Hell, I live mid city and cycle to PV all the time. 55 miles round trip.

[livingminimal]

You may also consider looking behind the Orange Curtain (that would be Orange County).

Metrolink to Union Station is super easy from any number of locations in OC.

From our home in Cowan Heights it is ten minutes by car and 25 by bike to the ARTIC station, probably less to Tustin or Orange station.

We have miles of mountain biking and road biking from the front door. I love not needing to load the bike in the car/truck to do a nice ride. A quality 3 hour ride is easy, paved or dirt.

A weekend ride in any of the LA locations mentioned elsewhere in the thread are 40-60 minutes away, driving, if one wants to change the scenery. The option of going south is also that much easier. Train helps a lot too, if you want to car free or car minimal.

Second this, or +1 or whatever. I live in Old Towne Orange (And ride the Cowan Heights area regularly) and think Central/Southern Orange County is incredibly unknown for good riding...unless of course, you live here. Yorba Linda and Brea too are fantastic. Not lots of long picturesque climbs (aside from Santiago Canyon area) but lots of bike paths and plenty of gradient to keep you busy.

[vqdriver]

Happy Holidays fellow Paceliners. Work may be bringing me to downtown LA and I'm wondering where to live that would allow the dual benefits of 1) public transit to/from work and 2) good road cycling I can get to that's not far away from my front door.

I'm hearing Sierra Madre and Arcadia are good options with close access to Mt. Wilson.

Anyway, open to suggestions and thanks in advance.

Cheers!

that's actually not bad. gold line will take you to union station, south pasadena if you can swing it.
out the door, you have access to all the san gabriel mountains as well as more riding in the foothills and some mups if you're into that. good mountain biking as well.

re santa monica, culver city, etc.... i can tell you that altho the coastline riding is phenomenally beautiful, it's also a pita. everyone knows how nice it is and either wants to live there, work there, or hang out there. auto traffic on the west side is not something to just tolerate to get to the ride. it's schedule dictating. and i'm not talking about driving to the ride, i'm talking about riding to the ride. the population density (and driver density) there is just high. no getting around that fact. couple that with the fact that the beaches are a popular destination on weekends and there's little window for carefree pedaling. i'm always on edge when i ride there. one exception to that is early weekend mornings. it's pretty good then.
for sure, you should definitely get some coastline rides in while you're out here. it's not to be missed. but i wouldn't use it as a cycling base. just too much humanity.

[beeatnik]

If you're working in DTLA and your time is worth less than $200/hour, avoid the Westside. And especially, avoid Brentwood, Santa Monica and Culver City. I think SoCalSteve, being a film industry veteran, doesn't quite understand the physical, psychological and emotional toll which sitting in traffic for 2 hours to move 15 miles can take on you. I worked in Brentwood and Westwood while living a few minutes from DTLA and my commute home could average 2 plus hours. Westwood Blvd and Wilshire Blvd is the busiest intersection in the world, according to AAA. The 405 at Wilshire is the busiest onramp in the world, according to AAA. To get from Brentwood to the 10 freeway (4 miles), you'll average an hour (you could walk faster). Santa Monica, Culver City and Brentwood are models of bad urban planning. Bedroom communities which have become commercial/business hubs due to the tech, entertainment and financial services industries. There are more car trips out of Central LA to the Westside than the reverse. And that's only been the case in the last 20 years. Not sure if there's any other city in America with that type of traffic pattern. So, ya, if you're renting, Christian's suggestions are solid. If you're purchasing, unless you can afford 2 mil plus, Arcadia will be out of the question. The median home price in the San Gabriel Valley for a 2 bedroom, 1000sq home is $500,000. Anyhoo, bottom line there are no affordable options, just less expensive compromises (Glendale tends to be more affordable than Pasadena, Highland Park tends to be more affordable then Eagle Rock, etc).

Shoot me a txt next time you're in town.

[christian]

When I lived in Santa Monica, I worked in DTLA part of the time. But I had a motorcycle. Lane splitting the 10 is actually pretty easy/safe. 25 mins to the 10/110 interchange, max.

[christian]

This thread really makes me miss LA. I'll be back in February. Can't wait. Chico's tacos on Figueroa and 50th, cycling in Ojai, Disney with the kids, and surfing at Faria if I have a day for me.

[beeatnik]

I have a pal who thinks the ironic #LAsucksforcycling hashtag is ridiculous. Mainly because all the photos associated with the hashtag do not show landmarks or vistas which are in the City of Los Angeles. At the risk of sounding pedantic, for the most part, LA proper, which is to say the Westside, Hollywood and The Valley, does suck for cycling. If your idea of a nice bike ride is avoiding giant potholes and having to stop for red lights every 3 blocks, then LA is awesome. Otherwise, the rad riding which the Radavist features on the reg is in foothill and mountain communities around and outside of the City of Los Angeles. The Santa Monicas, The Verdugos and The San Gabriels (a mountain range without trees), kinda don't suck for cycling.

[cinema]

Eagle rock, highland park, echo park if you want to be close to dtla you can ride in in just a few minutes. Wouldn't even work up a sweat. Griffith park within ten-15 riding minutes. Angeles crest nearby except you'd have to ride thru south pas which is one of the more boring rides you can ever do. Close to lots of great trails in Altadena Angeles crest etc. even Elysian park has a fun hobo trail for weekday pick up rides. I wouldn't live any farther out for traffics sake. Don't live downtown, just don't if you can avoid it.

[cinema]

At the risk of sounding pedantic, for the most part, LA proper, which is to say the Westside, Hollywood and The Valley, does suck for cycling. If your idea of a nice bike ride is avoiding giant potholes and having to stop for red lights every 3 blocks, then LA is awesome.

This is true and I would definitely have a beater/donor bike with wide tires 35+ as well as your main rig, if you don't already roll with a couple different steeds. la is pretty good for cycling but also not.

[Climb01742]

Never lived in LA but have spent essentially years there in 3-8 week chunks shooting commercials and one truth sunk in for me: to enjoy living in LA, live in the same or adjacent part of town you work in. And avoid the 405 like the plague. As much as we all love riding, I'd place it way behind minimizing your work commute. Good luck with your search. Every place has its flaws, but few places have LA's upsides.

[ofcounsel]

Second this, or +1 or whatever. I live in Old Towne Orange (And ride the Cowan Heights area regularly) and think Central/Southern Orange County is incredibly unknown for good riding...unless of course, you live here. Yorba Linda and Brea too are fantastic. Not lots of long picturesque climbs (aside from Santiago Canyon area) but lots of bike paths and plenty of gradient to keep you busy.

I third this! There's so much good road and mtb riding to be had here in OC. I live in Brea (North OC) and there's lots of good road and mtb riding nearby. I always am surprising myself with the wealth riding we have. Just the other day, I was riding past the city of Diamond Bar along Grand Ave. on my way to Chino Hills Parkway, and hilly scenery as the sun was coming up was just amazing. I love it here.

I commute into DTLA daily for work. It's about 1 hour door to door using my electric car, which allows me to use all the carpool lanes for free. It's a long commute, no doubt. But if you desire to live anywhere decent outside of L.A. Unified School District where you can raise kids, it's all a long commute.


A colleauge lives in Fullerton, which is adjacent to Brea, and she takes the train into DTLA. It's also about an hour door to door. She uses the time to read or do a bit of work remotely, thereby reducing the amount of time she's in the office.

[ofcounsel]

Caveat: I know next to nothing about LA, other than how absolutely obscenely ridiculous the traffic is, having been there twice for work recently.

My buddy lives in Glendora, which, at rush hour, is FAR from downtown. But his access to riding is pretty amazing. Glendora Mtn Road is an amazing climb with great views. Nice town, pretty low key.

Glendora is great!!! It's about 8-10 miles East of Sierra Madre. Lots of good riding there too. Glendora Mtn Road, as mentioned is great. At the summit, you can take Glendora Ridge Road to Mt. Baldy! That's a killer ride!

The Monroe Truck Trail is an MTB trail that starts at the base of Glendora Mtn. Road and terminates at the summit, about 7 miles and 2800 ft. elevation later! Both are awesome rides!

[whateveronfire]

I have a pal who thinks the ironic #LAsucksforcycling hashtag is ridiculous. Mainly because all the photos associated with the hashtag do not show landmarks or vistas which are in the City of Los Angeles. At the risk of sounding pedantic, for the most part, LA proper, which is to say the Westside, Hollywood and The Valley, does suck for cycling. If your idea of a nice bike ride is avoiding giant potholes and having to stop for red lights every 3 blocks, then LA is awesome. Otherwise, the rad riding which the Radavist features on the reg is in foothill and mountain communities around and outside of the City of Los Angeles. The Santa Monicas, The Verdugos and The San Gabriels (a mountain range without trees), kinda don't suck for cycling.

I don't think the west SF Valley sucks for cycling at all. Close to the mountains, good road and mtb trails from my door. That said, I wouldn't want to commute from the SFV to DTLA for love nor money. South Pas is a great suggestion.

[beeatnik]

West Valley is qoo. One of my favorite loops is riding from Los Feliz over the Cahuenga Pass, then down Ventura Blvd all the way to Calabasas. If I have time I keep going to Malibu (worth the hassle of riding back from Santa Monica to La) just for the views. Ventura Blvd is great on weekend mornings, wide and relatively flat forever.

[SoCalSteve]

So, I'll say it again...

Culver City has everything you would want, even if you work downtown.

You can take the Expo Line to DTLA. No traffic. You can pick up the Expo Line in downtown Culver City. Commuting to work with no traffic, check.

You can take the Ballona Creek bike path to Marina Del Rey, from there your choices are endless. To the left, Palos Verdes. To the right, Mandeville, Malibu, canyons and beyond. Great riding, check.

Shops, restaurants, coffee shops,movie theatres and a vibrant social scene. Downtown Culver City. Check.

Weather that you never need air conditioning, weather that you can ride 50 weeks a year, weather that never gets above 90 and never below 60. Check.

Culture. Museums. Theatres. Ethnic restaurants. Check.

I truly don't get the " cycling sucks in LA". I guess they have never ridden with me...:beer: Please, ride with me anytime. I'll prove to anyone that cycling in LA is pretty great.

[ofcounsel]

So, I'll say it again...

Culver City has everything you would want, even if you work downtown.

You can take the Expo Line to DTLA. No traffic. You can pick up the Expo Line in downtown Culver City. Commuting to work with no traffic, check.

You can take the Ballona Creek bike path to Marina Del Rey, from there your choices are endless. To the left, Palos Verdes. To the right, Mandeville, Malibu, canyons and beyond. Great riding, check.

Shops, restaurants, coffee shops,movie theatres and a vibrant social scene. Downtown Culver City. Check.

Weather that you never need air conditioning, weather that you can ride 52 weeks a year, weather that never gets above 90 and never below 60. Check.

Culture. Museums. Theatres. Ethnic restaurants. Check.

I truly don't get the " cycling sucks in LA". I guess they have never ridden with me...:beer: Please, ride with me anytime. I'll prove to anyone that cycling in LA is pretty great.

Fixed it for you. Even those two weeks a year when it rains, you can still ride...

[beeatnik]

So, I'll say it again...

Culver City has everything you would want, even if you work downtown.

You can take the Expo Line to DTLA. No traffic. You can pick up the Expo Line in downtown Culver City. Commuting to work with no traffic, check.

You can take the Ballona Creek bike path to Marina Del Rey, from there your choices are endless. To the left, Palos Verdes. To the right, Mandeville, Malibu, canyons and beyond. Great riding, check.

Shops, restaurants, coffee shops,movie theatres and a vibrant social scene. Downtown Culver City. Check.

Weather that you never need air conditioning, weather that you can ride 50 weeks a year, weather that never gets above 90 and never below 60. Check.

Culture. Museums. Theatres. Ethnic restaurants. Check.

I truly don't get the " cycling sucks in LA". I guess they have never ridden with me...:beer: Please, ride with me anytime. I'll prove to anyone that cycling in LA is pretty great.

#lasucksforcycling is meant to be ironic since everyone thinks LA is a car centric town. the million plus residents who rely on the bus or old MTBs to get to work don't count, obviously.

as for living in Culver City. do you like driving the 405? I get the public transport option but it's the rare individual who wants to rely on that exclusively. and what about weekends or when you work late?

only reasons to live in culver city:

You're a Sony exec
You like overpriced restaurants
You bought a house there in the 60s for 15 grand and that home is now worth 1.2 mil.

[SoCalSteve]

If you're working in DTLA and your time is worth less than $200/hour, avoid the Westside. And especially, avoid Brentwood, Santa Monica and Culver City. I think SoCalSteve, being a film industry veteran, doesn't quite understand the physical, psychological and emotional toll which sitting in traffic for 2 hours to move 15 miles can take on you. I worked in Brentwood and Westwood while living a few minutes from DTLA and my commute home could average 2 plus hours. Westwood Blvd and Wilshire Blvd is the busiest intersection in the world, according to AAA. The 405 at Wilshire is the busiest onramp in the world, according to AAA. To get from Brentwood to the 10 freeway (4 miles), you'll average an hour (you could walk faster). Santa Monica, Culver City and Brentwood are models of bad urban planning. Bedroom communities which have become commercial/business hubs due to the tech, entertainment and financial services industries. There are more car trips out of Central LA to the Westside than the reverse. And that's only been the case in the last 20 years. Not sure if there's any other city in America with that type of traffic pattern. So, ya, if you're renting, Christian's suggestions are solid. If you're purchasing, unless you can afford 2 mil plus, Arcadia will be out of the question. The median home price in the San Gabriel Valley for a 2 bedroom, 1000sq home is $500,000. Anyhoo, bottom line there are no affordable options, just less expensive compromises (Glendale tends to be more affordable than Pasadena, Highland Park tends to be more affordable then Eagle Rock, etc).

Shoot me a txt next time you're in town.

Curious why you would think that because I worked in the movie biz for 35 years I am immune to LA traffic. Do you think I have some kind of " movie biz pass" that excludes me from the realities of living in Los Angeles?

I am 57 years old. I have lived and worked here my entire life. My mom was born here,I am second generation Angelino. I know Los Angeles.

For me, NOT living in LA proper is not living in Los Angeles. All the best that this city has to offer is in LA proper. Not a valley. Any valley. And, I know. I grew up in The Valley. Spent 18 years there. Got out, never looked back.

One mans opinion. Everyone has different priorities in life. Mine are living in a place that has great weather, culture and a vibrant social scene. Oh, great riding out my front door as well.

[SoCalSteve]

The OP wrote this:

Happy Holidays fellow Paceliners. Work may be bringing me to downtown LA and I'm wondering where to live that would allow the dual benefits of 1) public transit to/from work and 2) good road cycling I can get to that's not far away from my front door.

Culver City definetly works for both 1 and 2.

[SoCalSteve]

#lasucksforcycling is meant to be ironic since everyone thinks LA is a car centric town. the million plus residents who rely on the bus or old MTBs to get to work don't count, obviously.

as for living in Culver City. do you like driving the 405? I get the public transport option but it's the rare individual who wants to rely on that exclusively. and what about weekends or when you work late?

only reasons to live in culver city:

You're a Sony exec
You like overpriced restaurants
You bought a house there in the 60s for 15 grand and that home is now worth 1.2 mil.

Please look at a map of where downtown Culver City is in relationship to the 405. Maybe the 10, but you would never have to drive on the 405.

The Expo Line is awesome! I use it pretty much every time I go downtown. Runs every few minutes and probably runs 20 hours a day, 7 days a week. And, as a bonus, it will be running all the way to the beach in 2016.

[beeatnik]

Curious why you would think that because I worked in the movie biz for 35 years I am immune to LA traffic. Do you think I have some kind of " movie biz pass" that excludes me from the realities of living in Los Angeles?

I am 57 years old. I have lived and worked here my entire life. My mom was born here,I am second generation Angelino. I know Los Angeles.

For me, NOT living in LA proper is not living in Los Angeles. All the best that this city has to offer is in LA proper. Not a valley. Any valley. And, I know. I grew up in The Valley. Spent 18 years there. Got out, never looked back.

One mans opinion. Everyone has different priorities in life. Mine are living in a place that has great weather, culture and a vibrant social scene. Oh, great riding out my front door as well.


Most film/television production doesn't occur in Downtown Los Angeles between the hours of 8am and 6pm. I know the hours can be long and hard but if you get to drive home at 11pm on a Friday night you don't deal with the same abomination.

And The Valley is the City of Los Angeles. In fact, half the residents of the City of Los Angeles (2 mil plus) live in the communities which make up The Valley.

In any case, I like how Culver City has changed in the last 15 years. I like the Westside. The reality is that the worst traffic in California is in those areas (for a reason). IMO, as a former "Westsider," if you're not wealthy, it really impacts your quality of life.

[SoCalSteve]

Most film/television production doesn't occur in Downtown Los Angeles between the hours of 8am and 6pm. I know the hours can be long and hard but if you get to drive home at 11pm on a Friday night you don't deal with the same abomination.

And The Valley is the City of Los Angeles. In fact, half the residents of the City of Los Angeles (2 mil plus) live in the communities which make up The Valley.

In any case, I like how Culver City has changed in the last 15 years. I like the Westside. The reality is that the worst traffic in California is in those areas (for a reason). IMO, as a former "Westsider," if you're not wealthy, it really impacts your quality of life.

I spent 15 of my 35 years in the biz in middle management. Office job. 7:00 to 5:30. LA Center Studios, Warner Brothers and Sony. I understand LA traffic. Yeah, the other 20 years were on location- production work. Was able to avoid lots of traffic. Working a minimum of 12 hours a day will help with that.

As for " The Valley" (s). Yes, they are a part of Los Angeles. A large part, but not the best that LA has to offer. That was my point.

We looked long and hard at moving to Culver City. It has tons to offer. We just liked The Marina and the building we moved into a bit more. Oh, my wife does work downtown, commutes daily. She is still here to talk about it. Not the end of the world. Just traffic.

[beeatnik]

I spent 15 of my 35 years in the biz in middle management. Office job. 7:00 to 5:30. LA Center Studios, Warner Brothers and Sony. I understand LA traffic. Yeah, the other 20 years were on location- production work. Was able to avoid lots of traffic. Working a minimum of 12 hours a day will help with that.

As for " The Valley" (s). Yes, they are a part of Los Angeles. A large part, but not the best that LA has to offer. That was my point.

We looked long and hard at moving to Culver City. It has tons to offer. We just liked The Marina and the building we moved into a bit more. Oh, my wife does work downtown, commutes daily. She is still here to talk about it. Not the end of the world. Just traffic.

Steve, you're a true Angelino. You dis the Valley and are immune to traffic. :beer:

[campy man]

I would live in Monterey Hills, Highland Park, or Eagle Rock (or So Pasadena if money is less of an issue). From any of those places you have pretty easy riding north, and all are a good commute to downtown. I don't think Sierra Madre is that great for access to Angeles Forest. If that's your #1 priority, La Canada Flintridge or the San Rafael hills would be better.

You looking to rent or buy? How much/month?

For me, having lived on the Westside (26th/Montana) for a while, I would never choose that as a base for cycling.

+100 ... if you're going to commute to DTLA and looking for great riding on the weekends & evenings this is by far the best option.

I was born and raised in LA and been commuting/riding here for +25yrs. I have lived in Mid-Wilshire(K-Town), Larchmont, South Central, Culver City, Echo Park, Eagle Rock and now the East SFV near Griffith Park. Living in North East LA would be a piece of cake for commuting to DTLA with several routes available with decent roads. There are lots of nice roads with varied terrain heading toward the foothills of the San Gabriel Mtns.

There is plenty of great riding in the Santa Monica Mtns off of PCH and the Westside offers plenty to do but the auto traffic is a nightmare. While I agree OC has some outstanding roads and areas for riding I'm not sure the commute via rail is worth the lost time.

A lot depends on what you like to do when not riding and working.

Good luck!

[campy man]

Eagle rock, highland park, echo park if you want to be close to dtla you can ride in in just a few minutes. Wouldn't even work up a sweat. Griffith park within ten-15 riding minutes. Angeles crest nearby except you'd have to ride thru south pas which is one of the more boring rides you can ever do. Close to lots of great trails in Altadena Angeles crest etc. even Elysian park has a fun hobo trail for weekday pick up rides. I wouldn't live any farther out for traffics sake. Don't live downtown, just don't if you can avoid it.

Winner winner chicken dinner ... this guy knows North East LA cycling :beer:

[RyanH]

Well, budget and tolerance for traffic are going to be the determining factors. I live in Downtown because my wife works in Vernon and I either work from home or am at a client site (I also hate traffic). Downtown has a lot of short comings but: I am a 45 minute ride from Santa Monica, an hour ride to the San Gabriel and 30 minutes from two of my favorite group rides. Since I don't waste time in traffic, I can usually get in a two hour weekday ride up to Griffith and back.

On the other hand, rent is skyrocketing with the average now somewhere in the $2500/mo range and condos starting at $400k with a $500+/mo HOA. So, ya back to budget.


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[ofcounsel]

Happy Holidays fellow Paceliners. Work may be bringing me to downtown LA and I'm wondering where to live that would allow the dual benefits of 1) public transit to/from work and 2) good road cycling I can get to that's not far away from my front door.

I'm hearing Sierra Madre and Arcadia are good options with close access to Mt. Wilson.

Anyway, open to suggestions and thanks in advance.

Cheers!

Are you single? Married? Kids in tow?

[Ciavete]

Are you single? Married? Kids in tow?

Single, no kids.

Whoa, you all have given me great input. Thanks for the counsel; I'll put it all to good use.

First time I'll be looking for a new home with cycling options as a major priority. Just gotta keep riding!!

[Vera J. Hogue]

Happy Holidays to everyone! :hello:

[Vera J. Hogue]

I have a road bike, & i am always with my cycling :D

[danield]

I've lived and worked in quite a few different neighborhoods throughout the L.A. area the last 11 years. I currently work in Downtown L.A. Previously lived in Culver City, Los Feliz, Echo Park, Highland Park/So Pas, and Pasadena. Last summer my wife and I moved to Azusa, in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains (i.e. the San Gabriel Valley) one town over from Glendora (recommended above) and about 25 miles from downtown. I will say that Azusa/Glendora has proven to be BY FAR the best balance of feasible commute to work and very accessible, spectacular cycling.

All of the iconic San Gabriel Mountain climbs start minutes from my door. Lots of cyclists and a good amount of young people (college students) around. Also amazing hiking and camping. The San Gabriel River bike path is a mile away, and takes you all the way to Seal Beach (though beware of the occasional junkie sleeping on the path and urban ranchero on horseback). I can get "hour of power" workouts in before or after work without ever having to ride in traffic.

The Gold Line (light rail) to downtown is opening in March, though currently I've been very well served by the Foothill Transit commuter buses. It takes me about 60 min commuting each way but I get a little work done on the bus or play video games :). Taking public transit has been a huge comfort for me -- sitting in L.A. traffic (even for a shorter period of time) is just maddening and energy sapping.

Azusa/Glendora are pretty sleepy however -- one or two decent gastropubs but that's about it, so you're not going to get much of a nightlife fix. (Pasadena could be a better compromise on that front.)

All of the other neighborhoods I lived in were frankly unbearable for me as a cyclist because they are so dense, and so clogged with really crazy traffic. Getting to any decent rides meant 30-60 minutes of riding through dense urban traffic on poorly maintained urban roads. A lot of So Cal cyclists focus entirely on "beach riding" utilizing large sections of PCH and Santa Monica Mountains, which is puzzling given how crowded those roads are and how empty things are in the San Gabriel Valley.

If you have any more questions you can catch me (slowly) riding up to the snowline on Mt. Baldy this weekend...

[beeatnik]

danield knows what's up. and he's lived in the best hoods. westside, "eastside" "northeast LA," long beach, OC, Encino/Sherman Oaks and best of all, Pasadena.

[Hindmost]

First time I'll be looking for a new home with cycling options as a major priority.

I did something similar years back. I was somewhat familiar with the general area in which I was looking. On weekends I went house-hunting by bike to assess the ridability.

[jpang922]

I live between WeHo and BH and can be climbing within 10 minutes out of my door in the Hollywood Hills. Coast is 10 miles to the west without having to deal with much traffic (bike lanes, back streets). San Gabriel Mountain rides are much further away with lots of trash miles within the city, but this is where you use the car.

[christian]

I really really really think it's spelled Angeleno. Angelino is a little pasta shaped like cherubs.

[denapista]

I live in South Pasadena and I pay $1300/mo for rent... Two Bedroom, wood flooring, crown moldings and a 2 car garage... South Pasadena is littered with rental properties in this price range. I'm 2 miles from the start of the Montrose ride, Chantry climb, Angeles Crest, etc... From South Pasadena, I can ride the train into DTLA if I worked there or if I wanted to train into a nice Little Tokyo dinner.. South Pasadena / Highland Park / Eagle Rock / Altadena / La Canada / Montrose... These are prime areas to live. They're far from the Westside (Santa Monica / Venice), but extremely close to all of the good cycling in the city. Dirt Trails (Wilson, Brown, Lukens, etc). Having a "All Road" bike around these parts would be the best weapon of choice.. You could ride out on dirt tires and ride road stretches, then come back home on the dirt. The 626 area in my 38 years of living here, is by far the best area to reside in Southern California.

I've thought about moving to mid city or west LA so many times, but there's something very nostalgic and "Homey" to Pasadena, South Pasadena. My street is littered with trees and parks and greenery. Living outside of the SGV, tosses you into the mix of So Cal transplants and lots of human traffic. Living in Echo Park or Silverlake is super close to cool, but very far from peace and quiet.

It all depends on what you're looking for in a neighborhood and your commute. On a clear freeway day, I can get to anywhere in So Cal in 25-30min. I sometimes do the Bike Effect weekend rides and I can make it to Bike Effect from my garage (South Pasadena) in 25min, no lie. 7am on a weekend, the freeway looks like an episode from The Walking Dead.

I frequently do 100mi rides from South Pasadena to the SM climbs (Piuma, Stunt, 7min hill, etc). The only downside to living this way, is the commute to the working cities (Century City, Westwood UCLA, Torrance, etc). Luckliy for me, I've always worked in DTLA and my commute is nothing more than 10min on surface streets (Huntington into DTLA). There are so many local climbs in the Pasadena hills that are pretty amazing. I'm exploring more above the rose bowl hills, and you can easily get 5000ft of climbing wiggling up and down the neighborhoods around the rose bowl and La Canada. Big Tujunga is by far one of the best loops for quite crushing. Some days I do Big T and I'll get passed by 1-3 cars for the entire climb. It's that quiet back there.

Base your location on your job commute. That's what it all comes down too in LA. If you're looking for the best area to live where you have the best access to the core of LA riding, then it's (Silverlake, Echo Park, Highland Park, La Canada, Montrose, Pasadena, Altadena and South Pasadena). All of these cities surround the base of most climbs and inner city fun loops (Hollywood sign climb, Griffith Park, Chevy Chase, Highway 2, Big Tujunga, etc). Getting to the base of GMR from my front door is 13mi of flat. To get to the westside, I wiggle thru Eagle Rock and Silverlake and take Fountain all the way across. My neighbor is the Art Director at Cedars Hospital and he commutes daily on a bike. Fountain all the way across...

Rent in South Pasadena is stupid cheap. My buddy has a 2bd condo for $850/mo. He lives two blocks from me and lives there with his wife and infant son. Rent is cheap here!

[Climb01742]

One question about Pasadena: in the winter, can the air quality get a little funky bumping up against the mountains? I've heard great things about living there and the few times I've shot there I've seen some great neighborhoods. The only caveat I've heard is winter air getting sorta funky.

[denapista]

funky weather? Not that I'm aware of... Born and Raise in Altadena/Pasadena.

Air quality is going to be significantly better by the sea level cities (Mid City, Venice, etc) simply due to the oceanic breeze in the summers. This is LA man... If you're worried about air quality, you're in the wrong part of California to begin with.

The only thing weird about the weather in this part of town is the extreme cold in the winters. It gets down in the 30's easily overnight in the winters and stupid hot in the summers. This current cold trend is abnormal, but somewhat familiar for those who live around these parts. My old place by PCC used to be freezing in the winters.. Like blowing cold smoke out of your mouth when getting up to use the bathroom at night. On Thanksgiving, I rode up to Mount Disappointment and it was in the 20's up on the crest and cold windshield. Freezing.

[vqdriver]

not sure what you're referring to. winter air in pasadena is great.

[Climb01742]

It seems I was misinformed. Thanks for the clarification.;)

Come to think of it, the folks who told me that all lived by the beach. Confirmation bias?

[Ken Robb]

I think LA is like San Diego in that the prevailing winds blow west-to-east off the ocean. As the air crosses the urban areas it picks up pollution and it concentrates against the hills to the east. I arrived in LA in 1969 and I remember the air as being much worse then than now. Generally the air quality is better in Winter than it is in Summer.

I have visited Pasadena several times in the past few years and think it would be a fun place to live with LOTS of good places to eat! Many charming homes. I seem to remember there was a belief that South Pasadena had cheaper housing because the schools were deemed inferior to Pasadena's. I have no idea if that is or was true.

Summer temperatures can easily rise 1-2 degrees F with every mile one travels from the coast. The inland areas also get colder in the Winter. I learned long ago NOT to camp at the foot of hills/mountains because the cold air rolls down the slope and collects at the bottom when the sun goes down so the comments about chilly nights at the base of the San Gabriels and other mountains make sense to me.

[cat6]

Pasadena has crummy public schools and a decent amount of smog when there is dead air. South Pasadena has some of the best public schools in LA county.

All of LA besides the folks that live at the beach are susceptible to smog, Pasadena is not much worse than any other city or neighborhood in LA but the heat and/or views of the LA basin (most of Pasadena is above 500ft elevation) might enhance the perception. I ride in Pasadena weekly and at the base of the mountains you can see most of LA and the accompanying layer of smog.
http://graphics.latimes.com/responsivemap-pollution-burdens/



I live in South Pasadena and I pay $1300/mo for rent... Two Bedroom, wood flooring, crown moldings and a 2 car garage... South Pasadena is littered with rental properties in this price range.
As for South Pasadena being "stupid cheap", I'd pay denapista several thousand dollars to lock me into a two year lease in his apartment building. I don't think anything in South Pasadena has been cheap for a very long time. My guess is he is lucky enough to have some form of rent control where he lives, or be just plain lucky. I know a lot of folks that WANT to move there because of the schools for their children but simply cannot afford it.

As for the OP, Christian pretty much nailed it. Good luck.

[ofcounsel]

Pasadena has crummy public schools and a decent amount of smog when there is dead air. South Pasadena has some of the best public schools in LA county.


As for South Pasadena being "stupid cheap", I'd pay denapista several thousand dollars to lock me into a two year lease in his apartment building. I don't think anything in South Pasadena has been cheap for a very long time. My guess is he is lucky enough to have some form of rent control where he lives, or be just plain lucky. I know a lot of folks that WANT to move there because of the schools for their children but simply cannot afford it.


Hahaha, yeah I chucked at the "stupid cheap" comment. My guess is he's just plain lucky. I have several colleagues who live in South Pas, and it's not cheap.

Regarding schools, I heard anectodes of families with multiple kids living in Pasadena, but renting apartments in South Pas to secure a home address allowing them to send their kids to South Pas schools. If you have multiple kids and don't want to send your children to LAUSD schools, renting an apartment is a cheaper alternative to the private school route.

[beeatnik]

I have visited Pasadena several times in the past few years and think it would be a fun place to live with LOTS of good places to eat! Many charming homes. I seem to remember there was a belief that South Pasadena had cheaper housing because the schools were deemed inferior to Pasadena's. I have no idea if that is or was true.

.

Pasadena public schools are mediocre at best (similar to large suburbs such as Long Beach) with API scores below the state average overall.

The perception you refer to may have been based on the quality of the elite private schools in Pasadena. At least 3 of the top 10 prep schools in SoCal are in Pasadena. More than likely due to Old Money (Huntington, Wrigley, Gamble fortunes) legacies and proximity to Caltech.

[SoCalSteve]

Looks like I am wrong. I have been living a miserable existence on the west side for the last 25 years. Horrible traffic, expensive restaurants and lousy riding. And I'm not even a Sony exec!

I should have moved to Pasadena, where there is never smog, never too hot, cheap restaurants and no traffic...:confused:

I still think Culver City beats the San Gabriel valley for what the OP is looking for, but what do I know???

[ofcounsel]

Looks like I am wrong. I have been living a miserable existence on the west side for the last 25 years. Horrible traffic, expensive restaurants and lousy riding. And I'm not even a Sony exec!

I should have moved to Pasadena, where there is never smog, never too hot, cheap restaurants and no traffic...:confused:

I still think Culver City beats the San Gabriel valley for what the OP is looking for, but what do I know???

We get it, you love Culver City. Don't take it personally, when many of us who grew up and live in the area don't agree that Culver City is the absolute best place to be for riding /working in DTLA. Many areas within the vicinity will fit the bill.

It's like this: My sister lives in Culver City. I couldn't stand to live there. Personally, I hate it. Parking sucks. I wish she would move somewhere else so I could visit her again. For now, I won't bother.

On the other hand, my sister hates where I live! She can't stand OC and all the "cookie cutter homes"and HOAs, lack of "culture" and all the Republicans.

Different strokes for different folks, I guess. But I think that regardless of where one lives, there's good riding to be had virtually anywhere in LA/OC.

[beeatnik]

Different strokes for different folks, I guess. But I think that regardless of where one lives, there's good riding to be had virtually anywhere in LA/OC.

:beer:

[Ken Robb]

oops--when I commented on schools in South Pasadena vs. Pasadena I should have made it clear that was what I heard from my boss and his friends when I arrived in LA in 1969. They lived in Pasadena and that was the only rational explanation they could offer a young person like me for the price differential between similar homes in the two communities. Of course I think there are more REALLY nice home in Pasadena than South Pasadena so just looking at average sale prices would be misleading.

One of the reasons some folks gave for paying more for a home in La Jolla vs. a nearby community was they wanted to get their kids into La Jolla schools. There was SOME truth to this but it was sometimes offered as a noble reason to justify parents' real desires to be near their favorite shops, restaurants, beaches, etc. :D

[pff]

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I think an informed opinion is better than an uninformed one. So to establish some sort of credibility, here is my strava heatmap for 2015:

http://i.imgur.com/ea7aBqB.png

I have to concur with the majority of posters in this thread: East is way better. I live smack dab in the middle because I have to work on the west side. I'm in Culver City, and sorry Steve, but it's one of the ····tiest places for out-the-door riding. Every single one of my rides starts and ends with 20-40 minutes of junk miles.

If I could, I would live in Pasadena, South Pas, Glendale, or somewhere like that. Public transportation isn't really a thing in socal, but there are some train lines to downtown that go in the right general direction. And if work is in downtown (inarguably Eastside), living on the Eastside is definitely going to be easier.

Another thing you didn't ask about was cycling community. There are multiple large and thriving cycling communities, and they are largely non-overlapping. People don't like to leave their bubble (I thought it was a socal thing, then I went to norcal and did a bunch of group rides and it seems bubble-life is predominant there as well). The question of "where's the best place to ride?" will almost invariably be answered with "where I live, duh!" But having ridden all over, let me rank the communities on a scale from "most clique-ish and anal-retentive" to "most chilled out and welcoming".

most anal retentive
----------------------
Southbay
Santa Monica/westside
OC
Pasadena/eastside
Conejo Valley
-----------------------
most relaxed

The fact that the majority of posters in this thread seem to concur that the Eastside is better indicates to me that there are more Eastsiders on the paceline forums, and that reflects on the type of community you'll find there.

[pff]

One question about Pasadena: in the winter, can the air quality get a little funky bumping up against the mountains? I've heard great things about living there and the few times I've shot there I've seen some great neighborhoods. The only caveat I've heard is winter air getting sorta funky.

I think I've heard that further inland, like Fontana area, has this problem (mountains cupping and retaining pollution). But Pasadena is fine and generally clearer than the westside. It's foggy by the beach. Pasadena does have much bigger temperature swings between the seasons. It's routinely 10 degrees colder in the winter and 10 degrees hotter in the summer. That's not really a reflection on Pasadena as much as the unique coastal weather. The average daily high in Santa Monica varies by less than 10 degrees from the hottest month to the coldest.

[Hindmost]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7sLDziV2hs

Back in the day these guys taught us NorCal folks all that we knew about SoCal.

[denapista]

There's a very nice Spanish style looking apartment complex directly across the street from me. 2 bedroom, wood flooring and huge Spanish style windows... The "For Rent" sign has been up for a month or longer now. The rent is $1400 I last recall from calling the number. It's being used for a movie, but it looks like they wrapped up filming. If you're looking for a house in South Pasadena, then good luck. Most of the Housing values around here are above 1mil easily. I mean, these streets are lined with bungalow craftsman homes... If you're looking for an apartment, they won't be advertised of westsiderentals. These apartment owners are elderly and simply put signs on the grass.. I lived upstairs in the same unit and it was $1180/mo. Moving downstairs was a $120/mo increase in rent. You have to know the layout of the streets to find the cheap rental places. My buddy from Teamdream also moved to the city because of the cheap rent.

South Pasadena is regarded as one of the cities with the best schools. Pasadena public school sucked when I was younger, but they've all changed to program affiliated schools now. You will not find an apartment of my size and space for $1300 in Silverlake or any of those kinds of places. I live 4 blocks south of Garfield park, seriously one of the best parks in the summer.

[beeatnik]

^Fun weather facts for the OP:

Santa Monica average high temperature in Aug: 71
Los Angeles average high temperature in Aug: 85
Woodland Hills average high temperature in Aug: 96

Woodland Hills had a record high of 119 in 2006. There are days when it's the hottest place on the planet. What keeps Santa Monica so cool (the inversion layer) makes Woodland Hills an oven as 2 mountain ranges block ocean breezes and trap hot air.

Blame the mountains that ring Woodland Hills' south and west sides for the toaster-oven effect. They keep cool ocean air out and trap the hot urban air in to make the bedroom community of 10,129 homes routinely 15 degrees hotter than downtown Los Angeles.

http://articles.latimes.com/2006/jul/26/local/me-hottest26

http://www.intellicast.com/Local/History.aspx?location=USCA1261

Interestingly enough those temperatures and Woodland Hills' distance from DTLA (30 miles) have never depressed property values or kept away development (Warner Center). Conversely, 30 miles east of Downtown in LA's other Valley, you won't find the same, um, High Culture (Pomona).

[beeatnik]

There's a very nice Spanish style looking apartment complex directly across the street from me. 2 bedroom, wood flooring and huge Spanish style windows... The "For Rent" sign has been up for a month or longer now. The rent is $1400 I last recall from calling the number. It's being used for a movie, but it looks like they wrapped up filming. If you're looking for a house in South Pasadena, then good luck. Most of the Housing values around here are above 1mil easily. I mean, these streets are lined with bungalow craftsman homes... If you're looking for an apartment, they won't be advertised of westsiderentals. These apartment owners are elderly and simply put signs on the grass.. I lived upstairs in the same unit and it was $1180/mo. Moving downstairs was a $120/mo increase in rent. You have to know the layout of the streets to find the cheap rental places. My buddy from Teamdream also moved to the city because of the cheap rent.

South Pasadena is regarded as one of the cities with the best schools. Pasadena public school sucked when I was younger, but they've all changed to program affiliated schools now. You will not find an apartment of my size and space for $1300 in Silverlake or any of those kinds of places. I live 4 blocks south of Garfield park, seriously one of the best parks in the summer.


3 bedroom stuccoed craftsman on Fremont (major traffic artery during rush hour) across from South Pas High, $3200/month lease

2 bedroom stuccoed craftsman with vinyl windows on Monterey Road (major traffic artery during rush hour), $2800/month lease

1 bedroom 60s dingbat-like no character apartment near the Gold Line, $1600/month lease

Funny story, last year a couple of homeless looking characters waved me down as I was heading to the World Famous Rose Bowl Ride. They asked me a bunch of questions about my street. I was convinced they were Strava bike thieves. Later that evening, I embarked on some forensics. Turns out one of the shady characters is a bldg owner who has never done his own property management. His recently deceased wife collected their rents. After many years, an elderly woman moved out of one of his 2 bedroom units and he had no idea what fair market was for South Pas. Out of curiosity I toured the apartment. Crappy carpets, crappy cabinets, crappy bathrooms. Oh, the landlord raised the rent from $800 to $1800 for that 2 bedroom. Place rented in less than 24 hours.

[denapista]

Yeah.... Living on Fremont and Monterey.. Possibly the 2 most expensive streets for apartments littered among houses in the 1-4 million dollar prices.

So.Pas has lots of areas on the back streets so to say that are dirt cheap. My friend lived on the street north of Garfield Park and paid $1100/mo. It's next to the 110 freeway. Again looking on CL or WSR won't equate to finding a cheap spot. You have to know the city and the back streets where apartment complexes are hidden. There are a number of them north of trader joe's where riders of the Montrose ride park their cars. That area is full of off the beaten path apartments that are stupid cheap, compared to $3000/mo in Silverlake.

I don't think Culver City is the prime area to live for cycling. Getting out of Culver City tosses you right on Venice or whatever huge mass car lined street is over that way. I couldn't imagine looking for a decent long climb, and not worrying about going through 100 lights to get to the climb. The closest climbing vicinity would be the SM Mountains. You'd have to wiggle through Venice traffic to get there, which is a pain in itself. You can take the Marina bike path, but it ends at the base Venice.

I can get to the base of Baldy in 18mi of residential (Arcadia, Monrovia, Glendora). Easy riding and nothing more than stop signs in most cases. The base of the 2 is nothing more than a journey through the Arroyo, Rose Bowl and 1-2 streets through La Canada. Mostly residential and stop signs. The only ride this way where I'm tossed into lots of car traffic, is Big T and Little T. I have to ride over Foothill to get to those climbs, and Foothill now has a bike lane all the way to either of those climbs..

Velo Pasadena is this way. I've been walking in and out of that bike shop since high school when it was a tiny shop on a corner by Little Caesars Pizza my sisters managed in high school.

Actually OP, Don't come to LA. There's a hash tag thingy that says LASUCKSFORCYCLING. haha

[fuzzalow]

I am enjoying the banter, the bravado and the neighborhood pride all suffused throughout this conversation. This forum is something else.

As a lifelong New Yorker, I never got Southern California. Woody Allen's quote about LA as "a city where the only cultural advantage is being able to make a right turn on a red light" is my stereotype.

I don't think I could handle LA traffic - I'd only get a taste of it from travelling the LIE or enjoying the GWB (but not during a Christie-induced crawl) which to Angelinos, is nothing. I dunno how you guys/gals do it. I have nothing to add here other than I like the expanse to my horizon in knowing how you live.

Without dragging San Francisco into the scrum, I think Manhattan prices are still more expensive than $3200/month compared against some of the prime areas in LA quoted here to rent. Some of the more normal LA prices are closer to rental prices in Queens and da'Bronx, fugeddabout parts of gentrified Brooklyn. Things are expensive it feels like, EVERYWHERE.

Hey, the great part about living in a great city is that everyone else would like to live there too. Somethings gotta give.

[joe.e]

glad I read to the end of this thread. After seeing those south pasadena rent numbers get thrown around a couple pages ago I felt like someone shot my dog. I'm payin 1600 for a 2br duplex in a nice area of burbank. but 850? yea, I'll move. I have a coworker who moved from Idaho and lives near pcc, and she's plunking down 1700 for a 1br with a loft:rolleyes:

[joe.e]

born and raised in L.A, and after visiting nyc this summer, there is no way I could EVER live there. I felt so claustrophobic traveling around the city (like no matter where I went I was stuck on hollywood blvd or on the venice boardwalk). I'd rather breathe smog than someone's second hand air.

different strokes!

I am enjoying the banter, the bravado and the neighborhood pride all suffused throughout this conversation. This forum is something else.

As a lifelong New Yorker, I never got Southern California. Woody Allen's quote about LA as "a city where the only cultural advantage is being able to make a right turn on a red light" is my stereotype.

I don't think I could handle LA traffic - I'd only get a taste of it from travelling the LIE or enjoying the GWB (but not during a Christie-induced crawl) which to Angelinos, is nothing. I dunno how you guys/gals do it. I have nothing to add here other than I like the expanse to my horizon in knowing how you live.

Without dragging San Francisco into the scrum, I think Manhattan prices are still more expensive than $3200/month compared against some of the prime areas in LA quoted here to rent. Some of the more normal LA prices are closer to rental prices in Queens and da'Bronx, fugeddabout parts of gentrified Brooklyn. Things are expensive it feels like, EVERYWHERE.

Hey, the great part about living in a great city is that everyone else would like to live there too. Somethings gotta give.

[fuzzalow]

born and raised in L.A, and after visiting nyc this summer, there is no way I could EVER live there. I felt so claustrophobic traveling around the city (like no matter where I went I was stuck on hollywood blvd or on the venice boardwalk). I'd rather breathe smog than someone's second hand air.

different strokes!

Ha! In some parts of town, at the height of tourist season, all very true! Except for Canal Street where there is no off-season!

Y'Know what? - at the end of the day we live where we wanna live and it is even better if & when we are comfortable in our own skin doin' it. You in LA, me in NYC.

"We'll always have Paceline".

[SoCalSteve]

Yeah.... Living on Fremont and Monterey.. Possibly the 2 most expensive streets for apartments littered among houses in the 1-4 million dollar prices.

So.Pas has lots of areas on the back streets so to say that are dirt cheap. My friend lived on the street north of Garfield Park and paid $1100/mo. It's next to the 110 freeway. Again looking on CL or WSR won't equate to finding a cheap spot. You have to know the city and the back streets where apartment complexes are hidden. There are a number of them north of trader joe's where riders of the Montrose ride park their cars. That area is full of off the beaten path apartments that are stupid cheap, compared to $3000/mo in Silverlake.

I don't think Culver City is the prime area to live for cycling. Getting out of Culver City tosses you right on Venice or whatever huge mass car lined street is over that way. I couldn't imagine looking for a decent long climb, and not worrying about going through 100 lights to get to the climb. The closest climbing vicinity would be the SM Mountains. You'd have to wiggle through Venice traffic to get there, which is a pain in itself. You can take the Marina bike path, but it ends at the base Venice.

I can get to the base of Baldy in 18mi of residential (Arcadia, Monrovia, Glendora). Easy riding and nothing more than stop signs in most cases. The base of the 2 is nothing more than a journey through the Arroyo, Rose Bowl and 1-2 streets through La Canada. Mostly residential and stop signs. The only ride this way where I'm tossed into lots of car traffic, is Big T and Little T. I have to ride over Foothill to get to those climbs, and Foothill now has a bike lane all the way to either of those climbs..

Velo Pasadena is this way. I've been walking in and out of that bike shop since high school when it was a tiny shop on a corner by Little Caesars Pizza my sisters managed in high school.

Actually OP, Don't come to LA. There's a hash tag thingy that says LASUCKSFORCYCLING. haha

After I move and get settled in, I'd love to meet you in Culver City and show you how wrong you are. I can think of 3 different great rides from there where there is little traffic and beautiful mountains, canyons and beaches.

Btw, we ended up moving to Marina Del Rey, not Culver City. The 2 reason I think it would be a great place for the OP is the Expo line takes him right into the heart of DTLA from downtown Culver City and yes, there is great riding all year, very little smog and temperate climates, all from his front door.

I'd hate to not ride for 2-3 months living in the San Gabriel valley due to heat and smog. It's rarely like that on the West Side.

[beeatnik]

Without dragging San Francisco into the scrum, I think Manhattan prices are still more expensive than $3200/month compared against some of the prime areas in LA quoted here to rent. Some of the more normal LA prices are closer to rental prices in Queens and da'Bronx, fugeddabout parts of gentrified Brooklyn. Things are expensive it feels like, EVERYWHERE.

Hey, the great part about living in a great city is that everyone else would like to live there too. Somethings gotta give.

All relative. A few years back a building in Santa Monica on Ocean Blvd broke the record for highest apartment rent in the US. I don't recall the exact amount but it was something like 1500sq ft for $20,000/month. And we're talking straight rentals here not private homes/condos for lease.

[Climb01742]

All relative. A few years back a building in Santa Monica on Ocean Blvd broke the record for highest apartment rent in the US. I don't recall the exact amount but it was something like 1500sq ft for $20,000/month. And we're talking straight rentals here not private homes/condos for lease.

That's chump change in NYC:

http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2015/06/01/behold_the_10_most_expensive_apartments_for_rent_i n_nyc.php

:D

[campy man]

After I move and get settled in, I'd love to meet you in Culver City and show you how wrong you are. I can think of 3 different great rides from there where there is little traffic and beautiful mountains, canyons and beaches.

Btw, we ended up moving to Marina Del Rey, not Culver City. The 2 reason I think it would be a great place for the OP is the Expo line takes him right into the heart of DTLA from downtown Culver City and yes, there is great riding all year, very little smog and temperate climates, all from his front door.

I'd hate to not ride for 2-3 months living in the San Gabriel valley due to heat and smog. It's rarely like that on the West Side.

Just for giggles ... can you share the abbreviated version of those 3 rides starting in Culver City? Please include an estimate of miles & time. Are these typically done solo, small group or pack?

Who's not riding for 2-3 months in the SGV due to heat and smog?

[SoCalSteve]

Just for giggles ... can you share the abbreviated version of those 3 rides starting in Culver City? Please include an estimate of miles & time. Are these typically done solo, small group or pack?

Who's not riding for 2-3 months in the SGV due to heat and smog?

I guess I'm spoiled, but I hate riding when it gets close to 90* or above.That happens often for many months in the valleys. And, growing up in the SFV, I hate smog!

One ride:

Culver City through Beverlywood, Beverly Hills, up Coldwater, through Franklin Canyon Park to Mulholland ( west ) to Sepulveda ( south ) through the VA down San Vicente to the beach. Ocean Blvd through Santa Monica to Main St in Venice to the Marina to Ballona and back to Culver City.

You can add Mandeville, Amalfi, whatever if you want to add more climbing-miles. They are both very close off this route.

Add more beach by heading south on the bike path towards the South Bay. Add beautiful bikini clad women playing volleyball as well. Keep going and you are in PV. More hills, beautiful views and amazing homes.

The short ride gives you a bit of everything. Hills, canyons, beaches, beautiful homes, quiet suburbs and bike paths. I pretty much ride alone. This would be about a 35 mile ride with maybe 1500' of climbing. Add the others and...

Just one of many rides I do.

[beeatnik]

That's chump change in NYC:

http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2015/06/01/behold_the_10_most_expensive_apartments_for_rent_i n_nyc.php

:D


Yikes!

But I think the New York apartments are co-ops or condos whereas the Santa Monica bldg was strictly rental.

[mhespenheide]

I've enjoyed the back-and-forth. I lived in Claremont, the farthest NE city in LA County, from '95-97. The smog and traffic were both worse than I cared for, but you were right at the base of the Mount Baldy climb and some reasonably good fire roads as well. And I had a 18-minute commute by bike to work. I just had to share a house with three other guys...

But anyone's welcome to come up to Los Olivos and ride here!
(Seriously. I moved here at the end of the summer and got immediately wrapped up in work teaching. I need to get out more.)

[ofcounsel]

I am enjoying the banter, the bravado and the neighborhood pride all suffused throughout this conversation. This forum is something else.

As a lifelong New Yorker, I never got Southern California. Woody Allen's quote about LA as "a city where the only cultural advantage is being able to make a right turn on a red light" is my stereotype.

I don't think I could handle LA traffic - I'd only get a taste of it from travelling the LIE or enjoying the GWB (but not during a Christie-induced crawl) which to Angelinos, is nothing. I dunno how you guys/gals do it. I have nothing to add here other than I like the expanse to my horizon in knowing how you live.



Born and bred in LA, but I attended Columbia Law in the 1990's. I remember the day I arrived, my cabbie dropped me of on 116th --- but on the wrong side of Morningside Park. I was thinking: Holy crap! "what the f^%k"!! This is where I'm living??? Burnt out buildings! Hahahaha! I knew that day, I was never gonna make NYC my permanent home. Nonetheless, I came to love the place. I love the vibe and energy you feel there. No other city in the country else even comes close (SF is a distant second). And last time I visited, Harlem was quite improved.

LA does have so many positives, however. And DTLA is becoming a great place for food and culture. I'm happy to be working here.

[campy man]

I guess I'm spoiled, but I hate riding when it gets close to 90* or above.That happens often for many months in the valleys. And, growing up in the SFV, I hate smog!

One ride:

Culver City through Beverlywood, Beverly Hills, up Coldwater, through Franklin Canyon Park to Mulholland ( west ) to Sepulveda ( south ) through the VA down San Vicente to the beach. Ocean Blvd through Santa Monica to Main St in Venice to the Marina to Ballona and back to Culver City.

You can add Mandeville, Amalfi, whatever if you want to add more climbing-miles. They are both very close off this route.

Add more beach by heading south on the bike path towards the South Bay. Add beautiful bikini clad women playing volleyball as well. Keep going and you are in PV. More hills, beautiful views and amazing homes.

The short ride gives you a bit of everything. Hills, canyons, beaches, beautiful homes, quiet suburbs and bike paths. I pretty much ride alone. This would be about a 35 mile ride with maybe 1500' of climbing. Add the others and...

Just one of many rides I do.

I think the route you describe is a good example of the streets, routes & scenery available on the Westside. Nothing wrong with checking out women wearing bikinis while riding the bike path(?) and eyeballing the mansions of the rich n famous. I have ridden many of those streets and routes. If the timing is right(day & time) many are nice rides.

Guess I was thinking of routes that included streets with wide shoulders, decent pavement, a bike lane, no lights or stop signs every other block ... that can be ridden double paceline in a small group of 5-8 riders.

Not sure about the smog but if 90 deg is your threshold that eliminates more than the SFV for riding in the greater LA area.

What I love about So CA, there's something for all of us. :beer:

[kitsnob]

born and raised in L.A, and after visiting nyc this summer, there is no way I could EVER live there. I felt so claustrophobic traveling around the city (like no matter where I went I was stuck on hollywood blvd or on the venice boardwalk). I'd rather breathe smog than someone's second hand air.

different strokes!

Born & raised in NYC .. Upper West Side to be exact!
Transplanted to So Cal in 2001 .. Literally right before 9-11.
Came out for 3 reasons:
layoff, family, and what I craved the most ... the sunshine & wheatha.
Vac'ed here a few times when the little bro was living here and said I could get used to it. Gave myself a 60 month time line. The layoff moved that up by 24 months.
So off I ventured to So Cal.. La La land to be exact!
Been here ever since.
Are there things I miss about Manhattan?? Abso Fing Loutely.. Would I ever go back ... Yeah and I have for a visit. Would I ever live there again? ... Hard to say but at this point in my life I would have to say NO.
Funny thing is with this cold spell we've had here it kinda reminds me of East Coast weather!
Oh and on the topic of cheap places to live .. I originally came out here thinking I'd live on the Westside ... That didn't happen as I couldn't even afford the tear down crack shack ANYWHERE on the Westside let alone a decent condo/townhome. So in the San Fernando Valley I settled.
Fuzalow .. that's like growing up and living on the island of Manhattan and then having to settle (move) to Westchester ....
A little depressing ...

[beeatnik]

I guess I'm spoiled, but I hate riding when it gets close to 90* or above.That happens often for many months in the valleys. And, growing up in the SFV, I hate smog!

One ride:

Culver City through Beverlywood, Beverly Hills, up Coldwater, through Franklin Canyon Park to Mulholland ( west ) to Sepulveda ( south ) through the VA down San Vicente to the beach. Ocean Blvd through Santa Monica to Main St in Venice to the Marina to Ballona and back to Culver City.

You can add Mandeville, Amalfi, whatever if you want to add more climbing-miles. They are both very close off this route.

Add more beach by heading south on the bike path towards the South Bay. Add beautiful bikini clad women playing volleyball as well. Keep going and you are in PV. More hills, beautiful views and amazing homes.

The short ride gives you a bit of everything. Hills, canyons, beaches, beautiful homes, quiet suburbs and bike paths. I pretty much ride alone. This would be about a 35 mile ride with maybe 1500' of climbing. Add the others and...

Just one of many rides I do.

Steve, when you do the loop above on a weekday, how many cyclists on average do you see?

For anyone interested:

Coldwater Climb - Nice but treacherous
Mandeville Climb - Nice
Mulholland - Nice but treacherous
Amalfi - Nice
Riding through Beverlywood - Ok
Riding through Beverly Hills - Not so nice
San Vin to the Beach - Might as well be a MUT so nice but boring

IMO, the riding you enjoy can be very stressful to many cycling enthusiasts. It's the kind of deal where you have to be a logistical genius to figure out how to navigate the Westside to get to the few roads which are "cyclist friendly." The way I see it, the best 10% of the loop you've described might be light years better than the best 10% of an Eastside loop, but the psychic investment required to get that 10% almost negates the other 90%.

[fuzzalow]

All relative. A few years back a building in Santa Monica on Ocean Blvd broke the record for highest apartment rent in the US. I don't recall the exact amount but it was something like 1500sq ft for $20,000/month. And we're talking straight rentals here not private homes/condos for lease.

I'm not pulling exorbitant rents out as illustrative in the case of rents north of $3000/month. As apparently the case for SoCal higher-end rents along Freemont & Monterey as per denapista's post - assuming he knows the neighborhood as both you and he seem to know. There's always a showcase for highest +$20K rents somewhere but that's the kinda company I don't commune with or care about anyway.

Around $3000/month is considered a normal rent for a 1BR anywhere on the Upper East Side in a doorman building. Equivalent space in TriBeCa is slightly higher. We're not talking here about apartments like what Philip Semour Hoffman rented on Bethune St in the West Village. We're talking about a livable 1BR apartment for a corporate class slob like me - and it will cost >=$3000/month. Crazy to some but it is called home for me.

NYC is a great city and it'll extract from its inhabitants cost commensurate in capital, talent, drive and/or ambition. And if you can't keep up it'll crush you. LA can't be any different. All great cities survive and thrive off of this harsh reality.

Born and bred in LA, but I attended Columbia Law in the 1990's. I remember the day I arrived, my cabbie dropped me of on 116th --- but on the wrong side of Morningside Park. I was thinking: Holy crap! "what the f^%k"!! This is where I'm living??? Burnt out buildings! Hahahaha! I knew that day, I was never gonna make NYC my permanent home. Nonetheless, I came to love the place. I love the vibe and energy you feel there. No other city in the country else even comes close (SF is a distant second). And last time I visited, Harlem was quite improved.

LA does have so many positives, however. And DTLA is becoming a great place for food and culture. I'm happy to be working here.

HaHa! No argument there. I love the town I live in but harbor no delusions about its flaws. And yet NYC flaws for me are preferable to what I'd view as an interminable, foreboding psychological and spiritual torment of cars, traffic & freeway as an inseparable burden to LA life. I like cars but despise car culture.

But we are both very fortunate to live the lives we do in the places we live. We live, probably well, in very desirable and expensive cities. No rivalry between towns for me. Because to be good in the environments we seem to have prospered in means we might find a nice place wherever we might wind up. And I am grateful and thankful for the luck that helped to make this so - even if I think I worked my part and earned it. Lots of good, deserving people have been less lucky. There is far too much stuff that hadda go right to get us to where we are now and I know it.

Norman Mailer in his book about the Apollo 11 moon landing in describing the crew said it best - They carried themselves with quiet reserve like athletes that knew they were skilled and probably the best at what they did but knew that they could still lose. To me, that crystallizes life & living. And how I wish I could have been blessed to write with the skill of Mailer.

Hey kitsnod - dontworryboudit. Easy to walk away from something when you've had it. You chose the SFV, it'll be everything you want and will it to be and you'll keep working to get to where you wanna go. Westside LA? Why not and never say never. Keep on truckin' because the world is full of people that say things can't be done. What do they know?

Sorry for the ramble. I sometimes find the conversations I have in this forum very enjoyable with quality people. Lotsa good in this world. HNY everybody.

[beeatnik]

Fuzzalow, really enjoying your contributions to this thread. Next time you're in LA, if you have a few hours to spare, I have an extra bike (that should fit) and a quintessential route. :cool:

[ofcounsel]

Fuzzalow, really enjoying your contributions to this thread. Next time you're in LA, if you have a few hours to spare, I have an extra bike (that should fit) and a quintessential route. :cool:

Huzzah!!!

[fuzzalow]

Fuzzalow, really enjoying your contributions to this thread. Next time you're in LA, if you have a few hours to spare, I have an extra bike (that should fit) and a quintessential route. :cool:

You ride bikes setup as long 'n' low, so yeah, those should fit. On the route itself, well, I am at your mercy.

Huzzah!!!

Thank you gentlemen.

[oldpotatoe]

One question about Pasadena: in the winter, can the air quality get a little funky bumping up against the mountains? I've heard great things about living there and the few times I've shot there I've seen some great neighborhoods. The only caveat I've heard is winter air getting sorta funky.

OT but about air quality. I flew many times out of Camarillo and past Pasadena and more than once, as I flew next to Pasadena, clear day, couldn't see the mountains or the Rose Bowl. YMMV, maybe better now-late 80s, early 90s.

[pff]

I guess I'm spoiled, but I hate riding when it gets close to 90* or above.That happens often for many months in the valleys. And, growing up in the SFV, I hate smog!

One ride:

Culver City through Beverlywood, Beverly Hills, up Coldwater, through Franklin Canyon Park to Mulholland ( west ) to Sepulveda ( south ) through the VA down San Vicente to the beach. Ocean Blvd through Santa Monica to Main St in Venice to the Marina to Ballona and back to Culver City.

You can add Mandeville, Amalfi, whatever if you want to add more climbing-miles. They are both very close off this route.

Add more beach by heading south on the bike path towards the South Bay. Add beautiful bikini clad women playing volleyball as well. Keep going and you are in PV. More hills, beautiful views and amazing homes.

The short ride gives you a bit of everything. Hills, canyons, beaches, beautiful homes, quiet suburbs and bike paths. I pretty much ride alone. This would be about a 35 mile ride with maybe 1500' of climbing. Add the others and...

you promised "little traffic and beautiful mountains, canyons and beaches." Well, this ride has two out of four. If riding up through beverlywood and beverly hills, or down Ocean is your idea of "little traffic" you really do need to get out more. Yes, it could be worse: you could try repeats on the freeway on-ramp. But until you get to Franklin, you're stuck in traffic (on weekdays) and stopping constantly when you're not. The beach path you noted is (a) dangerous and (b) fugly. I really don't think you can argue that the beach path that goes by LAX and the sewage treatment plant is pretty, when you compare it to, say, Malibu. And nowhere in this ride are there any mountains (elevation >2k ft).



Just one of many rides I do.


The others presumably being "repeats on baldwin hills" or "laps of the marina".

I am not trying to rain on your parade but I live here and there's no way in hell you can say it's objectively superior to Pasadena, Conejo Valley, Malibu, Glendora, etc etc. You've been here longer as I've only lived here 7 years, but I don't think I'm going to see the light in the next 18.

[SoCalSteve]

Steve, when you do the loop above on a weekday, how many cyclists on average do you see?

For anyone interested:

Coldwater Climb - Nice but treacherous
Mandeville Climb - Nice
Mulholland - Nice but treacherous
Amalfi - Nice
Riding through Beverlywood - Ok
Riding through Beverly Hills - Not so nice
San Vin to the Beach - Might as well be a MUT so nice but boring

IMO, the riding you enjoy can be very stressful to many cycling enthusiasts. It's the kind of deal where you have to be a logistical genius to figure out how to navigate the Westside to get to the few roads which are "cyclist friendly." The way I see it, the best 10% of the loop you've described might be light years better than the best 10% of an Eastside loop, but the psychic investment required to get that 10% almost negates the other 90%.

You didn't mention Franklin Canyon Park. I don't ride up coldwater. If you have never ridden through Franklin Canyon Park, I highly recommend it.

None of it is stressful, nor much traffic, nor many stops. And again, when in Franklin Canyon, you won't even know you are in the heart of LA. It's very cool.

I don't get the " stress or psychic investment ". Please explain. Or better yet, ride with me sometime. I'm a very stress free guy.

[SoCalSteve]

you promised "little traffic and beautiful mountains, canyons and beaches." Well, this ride has two out of four. If riding up through beverlywood and beverly hills, or down Ocean is your idea of "little traffic" you really do need to get out more. Yes, it could be worse: you could try repeats on the freeway on-ramp. But until you get to Franklin, you're stuck in traffic (on weekdays) and stopping constantly when you're not. The beach path you noted is (a) dangerous and (b) fugly. I really don't think you can argue that the beach path that goes by LAX and the sewage treatment plant is pretty, when you compare it to, say, Malibu. And nowhere in this ride are there any mountains (elevation >2k ft).




The others presumably being "repeats on baldwin hills" or "laps of the marina".

I am not trying to rain on your parade but I live here and there's no way in hell you can say it's objectively superior to Pasadena, Conejo Valley, Malibu, Glendora, etc etc. You've been here longer as I've only lived here 7 years, but I don't think I'm going to see the light in the next 18.

I'll say it again. Come ride with me anytime. You will see what I am talking about. I really don't understand the stuck in traffic comment. The roads I cycle on are pretty traffic free.

Oh, btw, I have been a Team in Training cycling coach on and off for many years. I have ridden all over Socal training participants. I know Socal cycling intimately.

[scho74]

I'm in Century City and I agree with SoCalSteve, West LA riding is fine as long as you know your routes. Franklin Canyon is awesome, Beverly Glen is awesome, Mulholland isn't bad at all, and getting to Nichols Canyon isn't so bad either. I mean come on, it's LA and of course there's going to be some (if not a lot) of stop and go. What large urban city ISN'T like that? LA is LA.

This route is one of my favorites:
https://www.strava.com/activities/432669666

This was awesome!
https://www.strava.com/activities/153992080

[beeatnik]

You didn't mention Franklin Canyon Park. I don't ride up coldwater. If you have never ridden through Franklin Canyon Park, I highly recommend it.

None of it is stressful, nor much traffic, nor many stops. And again, when in Franklin Canyon, you won't even know you are in the heart of LA. It's very cool.

I don't get the " stress or psychic investment ". Please explain. Or better yet, ride with me sometime. I'm a very stress free guy.

It's settled. This thread has reached its natural conclusion. Westside Paceline Ride to Pedalers Fork hosted by Steve.

[ofcounsel]

It's settled. This thread has reached its natural conclusion. Westside Paceline Ride to Pedalers Fork hosted by Steve.

Pedaler's Fork.... YUM!!!

[cat6]

I suggest some volunteers host rides in their respective cities\neighborhoods of choice. Nothing epic but your favorite local out-the-door ride, 20-65 miles.

It won't prove anyone right or wrong but could offer some enlightenment and help bring east and westside together, where we can all bash NYC together :p

[fuzzalow]

It won't prove anyone right or wrong but could offer some enlightenment and help bring east and westside together, where we can all bash NYC together :p

Bash away. We have the whole nine yards that is all here for the asking in our own version of Fantasy Manhattan Island.

I earlier quoted Woody Allen's dig at LA as culturally bereft. Woody is an equal opportunity basher of either coast. From "Annie Hall":
Alvy Singer: Don't you see the rest of the country looks upon New York like we're left-wing, communist, Jewish, homosexual pornographers? I think of us that way sometimes and I live here.

[ofcounsel]

I suggest some volunteers host rides in their respective cities\neighborhoods of choice. Nothing epic but your favorite local out-the-door ride, 20-65 miles.

It won't prove anyone right or wrong but could offer some enlightenment and help bring east and westside together, where we can all bash NYC together :p

IN!

This road ride is literally out my front door: https://www.strava.com/activities/429085721

If anyone wants to join in, I'm happy to lead --- very slowly :)

I also know some fun mtb rides in the area, so if anyone want's to do that as well, I'm game.

[beeatnik]

Preview of the South Pasadena/Pasadena/Altadena/Sierra Madre Loop Presentd by Beeatnik and Cat6

A crummy urban street in a high crime area. No cars!
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5624/24118177655_f4f3876034_h.jpg

They're designing those Mars Rovers here (Jet Propulsion Laboratory):
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1555/24092120456_3651205e26_h.jpg

This is a 20% grade
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5814/23489956074_a5811a3a92_h.jpg

No climbs like this on the Westside. You gain about 2000 feet in 3 miles
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1600/24035593371_88e66922d8_h.jpg

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5729/24118172935_766b20593e_h.jpg

Hey, Steve, Altadena has mansions tambien
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5654/24092107586_eb62df1bf0_h.jpg

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5699/24010121822_0433490674_h.jpg

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1444/24118204975_2bdf6c1413_h.jpg

Irony
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1635/23822526070_1c8820384d_h.jpg

Another congested San Gabriel Valley street
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1578/24010115752_7e3e3337d2_h.jpg

[Climb01742]

I'll be the first to say it...that looks_very_nice. Even more so because we have snow and temps in the 30s.:D

[hockeybike]

Do you like city density, walkable restaurants, nightlife, bars, etc? I'll buck the trend and say forget cycling if DTLA is where you're going to work. Live there and enjoy it! Or try out silverlake/echo park, two other more walkable neighborhoods. Much less traffic, and much more to do that doesn't require a drive.

I moved to LA a year+ ago and basically gave up on riding. Loved the climbs, hated dealing w drivers and refuse to drive to a ride. Started running, instead.

[Ciavete]

Do you like city density, walkable restaurants, nightlife, bars, etc? I'll buck the trend and say forget cycling if DTLA is where you're going to work. Live there and enjoy it! Or try out silverlake/echo park, two other more walkable neighborhoods. Much less traffic, and much more to do that doesn't require a drive.

I moved to LA a year+ ago and basically gave up on riding. Loved the climbs, hated dealing w drivers and refuse to drive to a ride. Started running, instead.

The walkable city life is indeed great, but I can't give up the bike. Without getting into details I can say cycling became very important to me during a very rough 2015. Something about riding a bike is healing.

The thoughtful (and funny at times) contributions and banter on this thread have been super encouraging.

[hockeybike]

If you love the city life and love cycling, find a way to make it work. You'll be miserable in lots of LA if you love city life. In other places, you'll be happier than a clam. Culver City, and the west side in general, are very residential areas with 1.5-ish mile strips of commercial property (restaurants, bars, etc). I'm not a fan of those sorts of neighborhoods, so I avoid em like the plague. Remember, you'll have to drive to EVERYTHING in a lot of the neighborhoods mentioned here.

You might do well to hit up a shop in Echo Park, Silver Lake, Los Feliz, DTLA, etc, and ask about car-free rides. Better yet, figure out if there's a cycling group/team in a neighborhood and email someone.

I also shouldn't make it seem like it's impossible to ride in LA west of Culver-- there's riders, and if you don't mind some hills and cars to start your ride, you can probably do ok from Hollywood on east, as long as you don't have to cross a horrible intersection. When I was still riding, I had a very regular loop that was all climbing and descending with minimal stop lights, cars, etc, depending on the hour. Fun, as long as I got on Mulholland and onto the Sepulveda pass early enough. That's another consideration, actually. Do you like to climb? My rides all started with a 2+ mile climb. I like that, not all do. Still a ···· descender, though.

All of the above hinges on whether you want both city living and cycling. if you're ready to give up on city living, then the game changes quite a bit.

[SoCalSteve]

It's settled. This thread has reached its natural conclusion. Westside Paceline Ride to Pedalers Fork hosted by Steve.

What would be your route to Pedalers Fork from the Westside? I rarely ride to or in the Valley.

As for the food at Pedalers Fork, I ate there once, wasn't impressed.

[beeatnik]

^Your call. The route you posted to San Vicente then PCH to Topanga?

[kitsnob]

What would be your route to Pedalers Fork from the Westside? I rarely ride to or in the Valley.

As for the food at Pedalers Fork, I ate there once, wasn't impressed.

Westside to PCH to Topanga to Valley Circle to Peadlers.
Return via OLD Topanga to new topabga to PCH back to westside.

[beeatnik]

More Pasadena and Silver Lake and Los Feliz

You get a 15% discount if you show up on a bika.
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1620/24158520955_2ba20ac4e9_c.jpg

Intelligentsia (above) is in the former location of the Mexican Carniceria (butcher shop) immortalized on the cover of Such Great Heights
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1513/24133200466_bce34c819d.jpg

A Parlee, A Strong, A Firefly and the Two Best Bikas on Earth (CAAD10 and Super Six Evo) walk into a bike rack
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1704/23790713849_41b9b94b72_c.jpg

Strong Sock Game ATMO
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1459/23790721699_673d498480_z.jpg

Gold (Speedvagen) in them thurr hills above the World Famous Rose Bowl
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1618/23530327524_a1a91effa8_c.jpg

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1665/23791697889_f4cd3acde9_c.jpg

Gonna rain the next 4 days. Time to hop in the car and grab a $20 burger and $10 beer in Culver City.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/fathers-office-los-angeles

[whateveronfire]

What would be your route to Pedalers Fork from the Westside? I rarely ride to or in the Valley.

As for the food at Pedalers Fork, I ate there once, wasn't impressed.

Ate there this morning. The breakfast is good. Dinner can be hit and miss, depending on what you order.

Coffee at 10-Speed is pretty spectacular.

[onsight512]

So did the OP ever move 'here'? If so, where?

I came across this thread (happens often with the search function) while I was looking for something on Mt Lukens.

Here's a gratuitous shot from the Verdugos...

https://c1.staticflickr.com/6/5471/29699492683_323c000f41_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/MfrEsF)

#lasucksforcycling :beer:

[beeatnik]

#LAisSoWeird